


Sweet As Cherry Wine

by coatlicue



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Cheronica Friendship, Cheryl Blossom Needs a Hug, Domestic Violence, Eventual Smut, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Mention of Past Suicide Attempt, Past Sexual Abuse, tw: abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2019-05-03 04:10:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14560575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coatlicue/pseuds/coatlicue
Summary: The cold air is Toni's first greeting when she opens the screen door, followed by the sight of a slender girl with red hair smoking a cigarette on the rickety lawn chairs FP keeps out there for poker nights.Then the girl looks up. Her lip is split. She has a black eye and a bruise on her cheek that looks suspiciously like it came from a slap.-Or, Cheryl is in an abusive relationship with Nick St. Clair. She needs a push to get out. Toni happens to be that push.





	Sweet As Cherry Wine

**Author's Note:**

> don't forget to read the tags for trigger warnings!! stay safe friends
> 
> title is from the song "cherry wine" by hozier, which is very relevant to the story. 10/10 would recommend listening to it

The smoke is the first thing that Toni smells.

Which, admittedly, isn't out of the ordinary for the Whyte Wyrm. Cigarettes are commonplace, and the patrons are well-known for smoking a plethora of other things under the roof of this decidedly trashy establishment. But it's wafting in from behind the building, where her boss FP says absolutely nobody is to hang out ever because shit gets broken, so Toni is forced to step out from where she's wiping down the counter and go deal with it.

(God, she hates being an adult sometimes).

The cold air is her first greeting when she opens the screen door, followed by the sight of a slender girl with red hair smoking a cigarette on the rickety lawn chairs FP keeps out there for poker nights.

"Hey, Red, you're not allowed to smoke out here." Toni says, loud at first and then quieting down after she sees the redhead flinch.

"Sorry," She hears a shaky voice answer before the girl reaches down to put out her cigarette on the sidewalk.

Something propels Toni forward until she's standing beside the girl. "Smoking kills, you know."

Then the girl looks up. Her lip is split. She has a black eye and a bruise on her cheek that looks suspiciously like it came from a slap.

She chuckles dryly, "I think I can handle it, Cha-Cha."

"Holy shit," escapes Toni's lips before she can stop it. She sits down on the chair beside the redhead, trying to asses how much damage there is. The worst of it seems to be on her face, but Toni has an inkling that there are more bruises hiding behind the girl's red peacoat and dark jeans.

"What happened?"

The girl looks away, refusing to meet Toni's eyes. "Why do you care?"

Toni shrugs, "I just do. And clearly, you're in a lot of pain, Red."

"It's Cheryl."

"I'm Toni." She says, meeting Cheryl's eyes with a soft smile. "And you don't have to tell me, but let me take you into the basement. We have plenty of first aid stuff there, and I've gotten pretty good at patching people up through working here."

Cheryl freezes up a little, and Toni worries that she's said the wrong thing. "I - no, I can't."

"Cheryl, it's really not a big deal. And I couldn't possibly leave a pretty girl injured out here in the cold, could I?"

"No, that's not it." Cheryl says. "My brother, he was - Jason Blossom was my twin brother."

This makes Toni's chest fill with a sudden ache. Of course she had heard about what happened to Jason Blossom in the basement of the Whyte Wyrm almost eight years ago. It was a tragedy that had turned into quite the legend for the Serpents - a cautionary tale about what it meant to go too far.

"I'm so sorry."

"It's fine. I'm the one who came over here."

Toni looks around, debating the consequences of leaving work early tonight. It was a slow night, as Tuesdays usually were, and Sweet Pea would be more than capable of picking up where she left off.

"I live about a minute that way," Toni says, pointing to the trailer park, "Why don't you come with me so we can get you cleaned up?"

Cheryl's eyes shone with something that Toni couldn't quite put her finger on (but it felt suspiciously like disbelief). "Don't you have work?"

Her shoulders arch in a shrug, "For a pretty girl like you? I can miss."

"I - Okay, then. Thanks."

Toni offers Cheryl her arm for support, not missing the way she limps when she walks. Cheryl grips it with a pale hand, smiling gratefully.

"Let me just tell Sweet Pea I'm leaving, okay? I'll be right out." Toni says before rushing off into the Wyrm to grab her things and tell Sweet Pea she's leaving.

She picks up her bag and finds Sweet Pea behind the counter of the bar.

"Nice of you to grace us with your presence, Princess."

"Yeah, uh, not for long. I need to go."

Sweet Pea looks at her in disbelief, "What? Your shift isn't over until 11."

"I know, I know, but it's kind of an emergency. You know I wouldn't do this unless I had to, Pea."

Sweet Pea gives her a stern nod, "Alright, Tiny. I'll cover for you with FP. But you owe me."

Toni leans in to give him a quick side hug, before running out the back door, yelling "Thank you, Pea. Love you!"

When Toni finds Cheryl, she's leaning on the wall of the Wyrm. A tear is trickling down her cheek, but Toni chooses not to mention it. Instead, she offers her arm to the girl again with a gentle, "Ready to go?"

Cheryl nods, eyes watery, "Yeah. Let's go."

\----

Cheryl is surprisingly good at sitting still. Even when Toni rubs hydrogen peroxide on her split lip, pressing down so even Sweet Pea would have been hissing at this point, Cheryl doesn't flinch. Toni wouldn't have even been able to tell that the redhead was in pain if it weren't for the way she gripped the bathroom counter she was sitting on so tight her knuckles were paper white.

"Can I ask you something?" Toni says, unable to keep her curiosity at bay.

"Yeah."

"Why did you come to the Wyrm tonight?" It baffled Toni that of all the places the injured girl could go, she'd go to the place her twin brother was murdered and stuffed in a freezer.

Cheryl looks down, "I wanted to know if I could feel him there. Jason."

"Did you?" Toni's eyes flickered between where the alcohol wipe in her hand cleaned Cheryl's cut and the redhead's deep brown eyes.

"No. I didn't feel anything."

Toni wanted to pry further. She's always been curious about what really happened in that basement that ended with a dead sixteen year old, and FP kept his lips tight on the subject. But with Cheryl bruised and mangled on her bathroom counter, she knew she had other questions she should be asking.

"Cheryl - what happened tonight?"

The redhead starts wringing her hands in anxiety, looking ashamed. Toni wonders if she got in a fight. Riverdale is a small town after all, and even the Southside had heard about the Blossom daughter's nefarious temper.

Cheryl's eyes flick up to meet Toni's, searching for something. Honesty, maybe compassion. Toni hopes that she finds whatever it is that she's looking for.

She does apparently, since she answers, "My boyfriend, Nick, and I got in a fight. It got pretty nasty."

Words are unable to accurately describe the anger that flared up in Toni those next few seconds. Her fists tightened on instinct, heat rose to the tips of her ears, and the desire to hunt down that sorry excuse for a man and stab him in the neck quickly became present.

"I'll kill - "

"It's okay. I'm okay, don't worry. This isn't too bad." Cheryl smiles at Toni, a gesture meant to be comforting that just ends up making her sad.

"Has he done this before?" Toni asks, fearing the answer.

Cheryl looks to her left, towards the small stone turtle that Toni keeps on her bathroom counter. It's all the answer Toni really needs.

"Cheryl that's not - that's not _okay_. You have to get out of there."

"Oh, TT, if I only could."

Toni throws the wrappers into the wastebasket next to the toilet, taking Cheryl's chin into her hand to look her over. She didn't look great, but she was no longer bleeding and the bruising seemed to have calmed down a bit. "I think you're good."

Toni didn't miss the way that Cheryl's face contorted in pain as she slid off the bathroom counter.

"Where else are you hurt?"

Cheryl averts her eyes, finding anything in the room to keep her attention that wasn't Toni's welcoming gaze. "I'm okay."

"C'mon, Cheryl, you can trust me. I just want to check that nothing's sprained or broken."

The redhead looks over with a soft gaze, seemingly resigning to her fate. She strips off her red coat to reveal a black tank top. There is a hand shaped bruise on her wrist that seems to be yellow-ing. Toni swallows back her anger, not wanting to scare the girl off.

"I - promise you're not going to judge me?" Cheryl asks, her voice impossibly small.

Toni can't help but scoff in disbelief, "None of this is your fault, Cheryl. I could never judge you for this."

Cheryl looks down, "I'm embarrassed."

"The only person who has _anything_ to be ashamed of is him, okay?" Toni places a gentle hand on the girl's pale shoulder.

Cheryl stripped off the tank top, revealing a sprawling purple bruise on her ribcage. Then she moved to pull off her pants. There were fading bruises on her upper thighs as well as a bright purple one on the back of her right thigh.

In a different situation Toni might have been thinking about the girl's taut stomach. About her lean legs and the way her breasts filled out that red bra perfectly. But right now, all she wanted to do was hide Cheryl away from the world (from _him_ ) so nobody could ever hurt her again.

"Oh, sweetie." Toni sighed. "Can I check your ribcage?" She asks, wanting to make sure that Cheryl was comfortable with everything that was happening. Toni doesn't want to jump to conclusions, but the bruises on the girl's upper thighs definitely have her assuming the worst.

Cheryl nods softly, fighting the urge to curl into herself.

Toni moves forward, pressing soft fingertips to Cheryl's ribcage in an attempt to check if anything is broken. She presses down harder, mumbling a "Sorry" when she hears her exhale in pain.

"Well, I don't think anything is broken."

"Thanks... for all of this. You really didn't have to do this."

Toni shakes her head, "It was no problem, really."

"Well, I should get going." Cheryl says, already pulling her clothes back on.

Toni's stomach drops at the thought of the girl going home to that piece of trash. "You can stay tonight if you need to."

"Thanks for the offer," Cheryl smiles sadly, "But Nick won't be happy if I don't come home. Really, it'll only make things worse."

Toni wants to tell her to stay. To report that douchebag. To get out. But she knows how impossible it is to help someone who doesn't want to be helped. And how complicated these situations can be. So against the pounding in her chest, she says, "At least let me add my number into your phone."

"I can't. No - Nick will find it. He doesn't like me to have friends. Not that we -"

"We're friends, Cheryl. And at least let me give it to you on paper, okay? Keep it safe and call me whenever. For whatever you need, yeah?"

"I - yeah, okay."

So Toni scrawls out her number on a piece of paper once they're in the cramped living room of her trailer, purposefully leaving off her name and putting only a capital T on it in case her boyfriend finds it.

The redhead, now fully dressed, gratefully accepts the piece of paper before slipping out into the cold night.

\-----

It's another week before Toni hears from Cheryl again.

A long week of her fighting off thoughts of the redhead. Of trying not to worry about her. (And failing). She throws herself into work at the Wyrm and the classes she takes at Riverdale Community College with more fervor than usual in an attempt to keep her mind off the girl.

She's wiping down the counter after a long shift at the Wyrm when her phone starts vibrating in her back pocket. It's a number she doesn't recognize, but the area code is local, so she picks up the phone anyway, placing it between her shoulder and cheek as she continues to wipe down the bar.

"Hello?"

"Hi - Toni?" A familiar voice filters through the phone.

"Cheryl?" Toni's brows furrow, "Is everything okay?"

"I - No. Can I come over?"

As soon as she hears Cheryl's words Toni is fumbling for the keys to lock up for the night. "Of course. I'm leaving the Wyrm now. I'll see you soon."

"Thank you, TT. Bye."

The whole walk home Toni is a ball of anxiety. She's worried at what she's going to find, how mangled the redhead will be this time. She sees the redhead sitting on the steps of her trailer, looking even smaller than she already kind of is.

"Hey, Blossom."

The redhead looks up, and Toni is surprised to see a lack of new damage. She looks fine. Even the bruises from last week are covered under a fine layer of makeup. But something in her eyes is off, desperate. Not to mention the fact that a black turtleneck and jeans cover the majority of her body.

"Toni, hi." She greets the pink-haired girl, her voice breathy. Toni offers her hand to help her up and then goes to unlock the door.

Once they're inside, Toni turns to Cheryl, "I'm gonna make us some tea, okay?"

Cheryl sits down on the couch, making herself small, "Yeah, okay."

As Toni makes the tea, she rakes her brain for what could've happened to Cheryl. With a boyfriend like Nick, the answers are endless and range from bad to worse. She tries not to think about it too hard, because it makes her head spin and her heart fall to her feet.

She walks to the living room and sits beside Cheryl, whose eyes are fixated on some blank space.

"Here you go, Red." Toni whispers, placing the two cups of tea on the tiny coffee table in front of the sofa.

"Thanks, TT. And thank you for letting me come over." Cheryl reaches forward to pick up her cup of tea, and in the process, her sweater shifts, revealing the top of a very dark and painful looking hickey on her neck.

Toni's hand reaches forward on instinct, grazing the redhead's neck. "Cheryl..."

Cheryl quickly looks away, focusing on the too-hot cup of tea in her hand instead of the look of concern in Toni's eyes that she doesn't know how to deal with. "It's nothing."

"That's not nothing. Did he...?" Toni's voice trails off, unable to finish the rest of her question.

Nodding somberly, Cheryl's gaze falls to the floor while Toni's heart drops into her stomach. She is way out of her depth here, and yet all she wants to do is gather the redhead up and never let her out of her sight again. (And wants to get the serpents to drag Nick to a very slow and painful death, but that's beyond the point).

"Cheryl. You need to get out."

"I - He didn't used to be like this." Cheryl looks to Toni with glassy eyes. "We met the year I came back from college. I had just gone through a bad breakup, so my friend Veronica introduced us to get my mind off of her."

Toni scoffs, briefly registering the use of a female pronoun, "With friends like that, who needs enemies?"

"I don't think Ronnie knew. I don't think anyone suspected. Or does, now. He was so nice, at first. Sure, he had some weird comments, but I thought it was just boy shit. He flirted with me and took me out on dates - and my mother loved him, because his family is rich and powerful and could get the Blossoms back on the map.

"But, I don't know - He started getting more controlling. He wouldn't let me hang out with Veronica anymore, because she's bisexual and in his words 'a threat to us.' I lost all my friends. I was working to get my doctorate and be a therapist, and he made me drop out of school to focus on him. I think it was so I couldn't be independent and be stuck under his thumb. And, well... here we are, I guess."

Toni reaches over to take Cheryl's hand in between both of her own. "It doesn't have to be this way, Cheryl. Love shouldn't be this way."

"Nobody else is going to want me." Cheryl's voice breaks, tears flowing freely down her cheeks.

Toni's heart splits in two. "Yes, they will. Anyone would be lucky to be with a girl like you."

Suddenly Cheryl turns and wraps her arms tightly around Toni, sobbing freely into her shoulder. Toni wraps her arms around Cheryl's midsection, holding the girl so tightly she can feel her heartbeat hammering against her chest.

(She wonders, briefly, how long it's been since Cheryl has been hugged like this).

\-----

So, Toni and Cheryl are sort of friends now.

Cheryl calls her in between classes when Nick is at work, happy to hear whatever gossip Toni had about her professors or the Serpents or whatever had happened at the bar the night before. And Cheryl would hum, never really talking about her own days. Toni would tell her about new resources every call: how the ex-mayor was an attorney working pro-bono cases for domestic violence victims, how the shelter on the Northside offered rooms no questions asked, how the Serpents had a process in place for dealing with scum like Nick St. Clair.

Toni would then ask her, "Are you ready to put those resources to use?"

And, without fail, Cheryl would hum, "Maybe someday."

It hurt Toni's heart to know the girl was too afraid of the repercussions to leave Nick. It frustrated her. But she still did the research, hoping for the day Cheryl would be willing to get out from underneath his thumb.

This time, the call came much later in the night. Toni was asleep when her phone started vibrating on the nightstand, displaying the cherry emoji that she used in place of Cheryl's name for her contact.

"Hello?" Toni mumbled groggily, rubbing the backs of her hands against her eyes.

"Hi, Toni." Cheryl said, voice shaky. Immediately, Toni was much more awake. She looked over at the clock on her bedside table. 1:08 AM.

"Cher? Everything okay?"

After a long pause on the other side of the line, Cheryl says, "I'm tired, Toni."

Something in her tone has Toni sitting up in bed, frantically running a hand through her hair. "What's wrong? Where are you?"

"I shouldn't have called."

"No, Cheryl, it's okay. You can always call. Just - please let me know you're okay." As usual, Toni's mind was drawing up the worst possible scenarios for what could be happening to Cheryl. The worst part was that many of them were plausible.

"I'm at Sweetwater River."

And Toni is jumping out of bed, pulling on a pair of black leggings and her Serpent jacket, and running out the door to her motorcycle and into the cold night air.

It's a good thing tonight is a full moon, because Sweetwater River is creepy enough during the day and dangerous at night when there is no light. But Toni manages to find Cheryl curled up on the riverbank. Her knees are pulled into her chest and she's looking out at the river as if she's trying to find something. Toni sneaks up behind her slowly, trying not to startle her, the way one does a wounded animal.

"Hey, Cher." She whispers once she's next to Cheryl.

The redhead turns and gives her a smile, but doesn't otherwise say anything, and then goes back to staring at the river. Toni sits down next to her, content to just be here making sure she's okay.

Toni used to come to the river often. When she was in high school, the Serpents loved to come out here during the summer to drink on the riverbank and swim. Sometimes she would come here on her own just to take pictures. Along the way she had forgotten about the magic of hearing the water rush forward, how calming it could be.

Suddenly, Cheryl puts her hand, palm up, on Toni's thigh. Toni doesn't hesitate to interlace their fingers and give the redhead's hand a tight squeeze.

Cheryl turns to her, "I tried to kill myself here."

Toni sputters, her breath catching in her throat. She coughs a few times, before finally settling on a "What?"

"Sophomore year of high school. After what happened to Jason. My dad did it, did you know?"

Toni's brows furrowed, "Did what?"

"Killed him. Jason." Cheryl's empty gaze settled on the river again, "The Serpents helped clean up the blood and stuff his body in a freezer, but it was my dad who shot him."

"Cheryl, I am so sorry."

The redhead shrugs. She had come to terms with what happened a long time ago, resigned herself to knowing her family would never be normal. Loving. "My dad killed himself after we found out. Too much of a coward to face what he did, I guess. My mom got worse, to say the least. I just - I couldn't take it. So I came here in the dead of winter and tried to drown myself."

Toni squeezed Cheryl's hand again, hoping to convey through her touches the things she couldn't find the appropriate words for. That she's here and she cares and she's glad the girl is still alive.

"How... who got you out?"

"I had texted my friend Veronica. She found me, and her boyfriend broke his hand getting me out from underneath the ice." Cheryl looked over at Toni, tears threatening to fall from her eyes, "I miss her."

Toni turned Cheryl's hand over in hers, starting to trace small shapes on the palm of her hand with her fingertips, "Have you tried reaching out to her?"

Cheryl shakes her head, "I don't think she'd be too keen on seeing me, to be honest. I kind of cut her off completely when Nick told me to. She left hundreds of messages. She was really hurt."

"Cheryl, I think if she knew the circumstances she'd be willing to hear you out."

"I... don't know." Cheryl pulled her hand away from Toni's to wipe underneath her eyes with her pointer fingers, "I'm sorry I'm kind of a mess."

"Aren't we all?" Toni says, getting the redhead to crack a small smile, "Why did you come here tonight, Cher?"

"Tonight was a bad night. Nick had a bad day at work, he came home tired and got drunk really fast. I just - I wanted it all to _stop_. So I snuck out the window after he tired himself out and came here."

Toni's heart fell, "Cheryl you weren't going to -"

"No," Cheryl shook her head, "I couldn't."

Toni leaned over to wrap her arms around Cheryl in a gentle hug. Cheryl wrapped her own arms around Toni with equal fervor and they stayed there for what felt like hours, wrapped up in each other.

"I'm really glad you called me, Blossom."

\-----

After the incident at the river, Toni tries to reach out to Cheryl more, and Cheryl pulls back. She calls way less. She doesn't share anything about what's going on in that nightmare of a place she calls a house. It's almost as if the past few weeks never happened, except Toni still thinks of her daily. It's got Sweet Pea and Fangs asking incessantly what exactly has her so distracted during shifts.

Toni knows this act. Knows what it's like to be too scared that love is going to be ripped out from beneath your feet just when you've found stable ground. Knows what it's like to decide to rip it out yourself, just so the world doesn't have the luxury of laughing in your face again. At the river, Cheryl became vulnerable and, in turn, gave Toni some sort of power over her.

She needed to take it back before she got burnt, so she stepped back.

Toni understands what she's doing, but it doesn't make it hurt any less. Doesn't make her want to pull Cheryl away and promise her she'll never let go any less. But she promised herself when she struck up this friendship with the redhead that she would never push - not when the girl has been pushed around all her life, so she lets the girl have the next move.

It takes two weeks for Toni to see her again. Two weeks of radio-silence. Of Toni trying not to assume the worst. (And failing, horribly).

She's walking home from her shift at the Wyrm when she sees a familiar slump on her front steps. A familiar pang of fear strikes up in her chest, followed by a new and ugly emotion. Frustration. That after weeks of silence, Cheryl decides to show up at her doorstep without notice.

However, that emotion quickly dissipates when Cheryl looks up. Toni has never seen her look worse. Her right eye is so swollen Toni wonders if she can see out of it. There's a trickle of blood falling from her nostrils, slow and steady. There are finger shaped bruises on her neck as if she had been choked. Toni's breath cuts out just thinking about what is no doubt hiding under her coat.

Toni sighs, offering Cheryl a hand so she can get up. The redhead stumbles and her eyes shut tight as she makes her way up the steps of Toni's trailer.

"Again?" Toni asks as she opens the door to her trailer.

Cheryl looks down, ashamed, "I'm sorry I always end up here."

"No, Cheryl. Don't be sorry about that, you know I'm always here. It's just... why don't you leave?" Toni walks to the linen closet in her living room, picking up a warm blanket to drape over Cheryl's shoulders. Cheryl sits on the couch, still shaking slightly when Toni drapes it over her.

"I - leave Nick? No - no, I couldn't." Cheryl answers, head vigorously shaking. She pulls the blanket tighter around herself.

"But why not, Cheryl? He's a _monster_. Look at you. He doesn't deserve you." Toni crouches down on her knees so she's making eye contact with Cheryl, trying not to cry at the way her face is bruised and mangled.

"Can you imagine, Toni? With his family, his power. With the way his family is in cahoots with my mother? I'd be dead before I could say a word against him in court."

Toni knows it's true. She's seen the justice system fail women plenty of times. And men like Nick St. Clair with status and power never face the consequences for the shit they do. They can throw money at any problem to make it disappear. So, despite herself, Toni can't bring herself to tell Cheryl it's not true. (One thing she can't do is lie to her).

Instead, she presses a soft kiss on Cheryl's forehead before heading to the bathroom to get the first aid kit. When she catches her own reflection in the bathroom mirror, she can't help but take a step back. She looks worn. Despite everything, this is really getting to her.

_Pull it together, Toni._ She tells herself, _You can fall apart later. She needs you right now._

So she walks back to the living room, crouches in front of Cheryl, and begins to tend to her wounds, not letting a single tear fall.

"Why haven't you called, Cheryl?" Toni asks as she wipes Cheryl's eye with alcohol.

"I can't risk it." Cheryl says seriously, making eye contact with Toni. And, okay, Toni gets it. She has lost enough people in her own life to understand the fear of losing any more. It doesn't stop her from being frustrated that Cheryl doesn't trust her.

"Risk? This isn't a risk, Cher. I promise you, I'm not going to leave you. No matter what."

"No, it's not - Nick suspects something. I know he does. I don't want to think if he found out... what he would -"

"I would never let him hurt you." Toni declares, voice conveying a conviction she didn't have before.

"And what about you? What's he going to do to you when he realizes you're helping me?" Cheryl shakes her head, tears falling freely down her cheeks, "I would never forgive myself."

There's a pang in Toni's chest that feels suspiciously like love.

"Oh, darling, don't you worry about me." Toni moves the first aid kit out of the way and moves to sit beside Cheryl on the couch. "I'm in a gang, remember? I can handle it."

"You're like five feet tall and weigh maybe a hundred pounds." Cheryl rebutts, "And Nick has power. Money. And you -"

"I'm a poor black girl from the Southside with nothing. I _know_ , Cheryl." Toni places a gentle hand on Cheryl's arm, "I would face him, for you. I would face a million bratty rich white boys for you."

\-----

Cheryl and Toni fall asleep on the couch, curled into each other.

Cheryl doesn't even notice herself drift into slumber, just enjoys the warmth of Toni wrapped around her until she's suddenly asleep.

There's pounding on the door of Toni's trailer that tears them both out of their slumber. Toni shoots up, ready to yell at Sweet Pea for almost tearing down her trailer. When she opens the door, however, she's faced with someone else entirely.

A tall man with dark curly hair and light eyes is on her doorstep. There's something off about him, something that makes her uneasy.

"Is Cheryl in here?" He says, and Toni feels her stomach drop. This must be the scumbag Cheryl calls a boyfriend.

"Who?" Toni says, feigning ignorance despite the fact that her heart is hammering impossibly hard in her chest.

"Don't play dumb with me. The idiot parked her car in this trailer park. I asked around, a few of the guys saw a redhead walk into this trailer last night. Cheryl!" Nick pushes past Toni and barges into the trailer.

Toni runs forward so she's shielding the redhead. "Don't, Cheryl, it's okay."

"Shacking up with girls again, Cheryl?" Nick scoffs, "Should've fucking known I couldn't trust a truck-stop whore like you to be loyal to me."

"Don't fucking talk to her like that!" Toni yells, already moving forward. She's small, but has a temper and good knowledge of human anatomy. She's ready to take him in a fight even if she ends up losing.

"It's okay, Toni." Cheryl says, meekly. Her expression is calm, too calm. It makes Toni's head spin and her heart ache. "I'll go."

"What? Cheryl, no."

Cheryl's face is neutral but Toni can see the fear in her eyes when Nick steps forward to grab her arm a little too tightly. Toni is ready to charge forward as he pulls her out of the trailer, but Cheryl looks back, eyes longing, and mouths, _Please stay._

And because Toni never wants to make anything worse for Cheryl, ever, she stays.

(Against the sinking feeling in her chest, she stays).

\-----

Toni can't focus in class the next day. Her professor calls on her more than once and she's left gaping at him, unable to answer any questions despite the fact that she knows the answers. She can't seem to make the right drinks at the bar, even for patrons who have ordered the same thing for years.

"What the fuck is up with you Toni? You haven't messed up Tall Boy's drink since we were in high school." Sweet Pea says as soon as she walks back to the bar holding the gin she had (incorrectly) given Tall Boy.

And, embarrassingly, Toni bursts into tears.

Panic immediately overtakes Sweet Pea's features. Sweet Pea has known Toni for more than a decade and can count on both hands the number of times he's seen her cry. That alone is enough to make him worry, but paired with the fact that she hasn't been able to focus for weeks now makes him scared. He steps forward to envelop Toni in his arms.

She is so small that her head is buried below his chest.

He guides her over to the back room, moving her like a rag doll so they're both sitting on the couch and she's curled into him.

"Tiny," he whispers, "What's wrong?"

Toni is crying hard now, heaving sobs that rack her entire body. She shakes her head against his chest and he holds her tighter.

"I-I'm scared."

Sweet Pea loves Toni like a little sister. He vowed a long time ago to protect her no matter what. So when he hears those words, his first instinct is to say, "Who do I have to kill?"

So Toni tells him everything. About the broken girl he'd found behind the Wyrm all those weeks ago. How she'd built a friendship from the ground up with her. How she had tended to her wounds the night before and they had curled up on the couch. Finally, she tells him about Nick and how he had dragged Cheryl out of the trailer that morning. When she looks up, Sweet Pea is breathing heavily through his nose.

"Where the hell is he?"

"I don't know, Sweet Pea." Toni whines, "I don't know where he is or where she is or if she's okay. I can't lose her, Pea."

"Dang, T." Sweet Pea says, "You're in deep with her, aren't you?"

"It's not like that."

Sweet Pea looks over at her incredulously, "Sure, Tiny. You're sad so I'll pretend I believe that for a second."

Toni sighs, "Even if I _did_ feel that way, and I'm not saying I do, it doesn't matter. That's not what she needs right now. What she really needs is to get away from him, be safe."

"I'll ask around, T. See if anyone's seen him. We'll find her, I promise."

\-----

Toni gets a call from Sweet Pea late at night two days later. True to his word, he's been asking around town if anyone has seen Nick St. Clair or Cheryl Blossom recently. So when Toni gets that call from him, she feels a little spark of hope light up in her chest.

"Hey, Pea, any news?"

She hears shuffling on the other end of the line, "Yeah, T, but you're not gonna like it."

"Why? What happened?" Toni asks, heart already hammering in her chest.

"Blossom's in the hospital."

And just like that, everything falls apart.

\-----

Toni's at the hospital before anyone can tell her it's not visiting hours.

The security guard at the door lets her through without much of a fight. It's late and he's clearly too tired to deal with it. She has an argument with the receptionist, who refuses to let Toni into the room because "she's not family." A quick flash of the Serpent patch on her jacket fixes that.

It's not even an hour after she gets Sweet Pea's call that she's walking down the Riverdale hospital corridor that leads towards Cheryl's room. She's afraid of what she's going to find in the bed. Afraid that Nick will be there and get her kicked out.

She's not all too surprised to find him missing.

(Coward).

Toni stands at the door of Cheryl's room for a good five minutes, trying to build up the courage to open the door.

When she does, tears immediately spring to her eyes.

Cheryl's face is a myriad of blues and purples. Her nose is taped up as if it had been bruised. The hospital gown she's wearing leaves very little to the imagination and exposes the damage she would normally be hiding under long clothes. There are finger shaped bruises around her wrists as if she had been held down that make Toni sick to her stomach. Her knees are scraped raw.

Toni never should have let her go.

She pulls a chair up next to Cheryl's bed, unable to keep the tears at bay. They fall freely down her cheeks as she pulls Cheryl's hand gently into her own.

"I'm so sorry, Cheryl." Toni whispers, "I shouldn't have... This is my fault. I never should have let him take you. And now look at you. Jesus."

"I didn't take you for one to use the Lord's name in vain, Topaz." Cheryl says, voice grainy. Toni immediately lets out a sob.

"Oh my God, I was so scared. I thought I lost you."

Cheryl's lips twitch upward, probably the closest thing to a smile she could give in her current state. "I'm okay, TT. You can't get rid of me that easily."

Toni shakes her head, "This isn't okay, Cher. Nothing about this is okay. You have to leave him."

"I don't know, Toni."

Toni reaches over to brush a stray piece of hair from Cheryl's face, "Please, Cheryl. Men like Nick don't change, they only escalate. And next time you might not be lucky enough to just be in the hospital."

"I want to leave him," Cheryl admits, "But I'm scared."

"Let the Serpents take care of it." Toni draws circles on Cheryl's thumb with her own, hand still firmly in her grip. "Please, I don't know what I would do without you."

"Okay." Cheryl says. "Okay."

\-----

Sweet Pea comes by to pay a visit three days later. He has a bouquet of flowers in his hand that he clearly stole from Ms. Fogarty's garden, but it's still a nice touch. Toni smiles at him and lets him put them in the vase on the bedside table.

"She's been asleep for a while, she'll probably wake up soon." Toni tells him.

He stares at her, fists clenching at the sight of the bright bruises that mark her skin. "Nick St. Clair deserves to burn in hell."

"You're preaching to the choir, Pea."

"She's pretty, though." Sweet Pea smiles at Toni, suddenly looking impossibly young despite his massive size. "I can see why you're smitten with her."

Toni blushes, "Shut up."

Cheryl stirs on the bed and they both turn to her. When she opens her eyes, Toni sits on the chair that is now perpetually at her bedside and strokes her cheek, "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. How're you feeling?"

"I'm amazing." Cheryl sighs, "Whatever they're pumping me with is a hell of a drug."

Sweet Pea laughs and Cheryl turns to him, only now noticing that there is another person in the room. Toni recognizes the look of panic in her eyes and quickly goes to introduce him, "Cheryl, this is my best friend Sweet Pea. Sweet Pea, this is Cheryl."

"Heard a lot about you, Blossom." Sweet Pea says, smirking at the girl. "Tiny Toni over here won't shut up about you."

Toni blushes furiously, "Shut up, Pea."

Cheryl giggles a little, a melodic sound. Toni realizes that before this, she had never heard Cheryl laugh (at least, not organically). "Does she, now?"

"Oh my God, I should have never introduced you." Toni says, hiding her face in her hands.

They spend the next hour or so chatting about everything from Toni's embarrassing childhood stories to how Cheryl liked her college. Sweet Pea doesn't bring up the real reason he's there until it's time to go.

"Well, it was nice spending time with you, Blossom, but duty calls. And hey, I just want to relay a message from the Serpents: Nick won't be bothering you anymore."

"What?" Cheryl asks, voice so small they wouldn't have heard it if the hospital room wasn't impossibly quiet.

"He wiped out on the slopes while skiing. Broke both his legs. He'll live, but he's decided to move abroad for his recovery."

Cheryl smiles eerily, "That's a shame."

Toni picks up her water from the bedside table and takes a small sip, "Oh well, karma's a bitch."

Sweet Pea nods at them both, does a nerdy little salute, and leaves the room.

\-----

"Toni?" Cheryl says when, hours later, they're curled up her hospital bed. Against Toni's better judgement, Cheryl had convinced her it would be perfectly safe so be up there together. (And maybe Sweet Pea's words had some truth to them, because Toni found it almost impossible to tell the redhead no).

"Mm - yeah?" Toni says, fighting sleep.

"I heard Sweet Pea and you talking earlier, and he said you were smitten with me. Is... is that true?" Toni's stomach drops in embarrassment, cursing Sweet Pea for opening his big mouth.

Toni turns to face Cheryl on the bed, "Listen, Cheryl, there's no reason for this to make things weird. I care about you no matter what and I'll be here for you even if you don't feel the same -"

She's cut off by the feeling of Cheryl's lips moving against her own. Toni kisses her back gently, careful to not hurt her. She reaches up to tangle her hand in Cheryl's hair. There is no fire, no burning. The world continues to bustle around them and the earth doesn't stop spinning on its axis.

But for a good minute or two, everything feels okay.

\-----

The next morning, Toni wakes up slightly disoriented in Cheryl's arms. She looks around the hospital room and remembers the events of the night before. She hopes Cheryl meant it, but she would never blame her if she didn't.

Toni sits up, raking fingers through her hair in an attempt to tame what is, no doubt, a hot mess.

Cheryl grumbles softly and Toni doesn't consider herself to be dramatic but it is, without a doubt, one of the cutest sounds that has ever grazed this planet.

"Good morning, Blossom." Toni says, moving to get off the bed before the nurses make their morning rounds and yell at her.

"What are you doing?" Cheryl asks, tugging at Toni's sleeve, "Stay."

Toni smiles at Cheryl and says, "I'm gonna get in trouble," but no longer makes any attempt to move.

Cheryl wraps her arms around Toni's midsection, nuzzling her face into Toni's neck, "Worth it."

"True." Toni says, "Listen, about last night. I understand it's a trying time, so if you want to take a -"

"Stop." Cheryl says, leaning over to peck Toni softly on the lips, "I don't want to step back. I'm all in. And not just because you helped me get away from Nick. I... I like you, Toni. I have for a while now. Ever since you took me to your trailer I couldn't get your pink hair out of my head. And yeah, it's not going to be easy, working through everything Nick did. But I'd like you to be by my side... if you still want that?"

Toni nods vigorously, "Yeah. Yeah, I'd love that."

"Good." Cheryl says, smiling gratefully. The bruises are still very present, but she seems better already. Happier. "Also, I've been thinking and..."

"Yeah?" Toni plays with Cheryl's hair, running her fingers through the long locks.

"I want to call Veronica. I - I want to reach out and see what she thinks."

Toni smiles softly, "That's great, Cheryl!"

"I have her number memorized still, as long as she didn't change it. But... I'd like you to be here, if that's okay. Just in case."

Toni gives Cheryl's hand a soft squeeze, "Of course, Cheryl, always."

\-----

It doesn't take much for Veronica to come bustling into the hospital. A quick mention of "It's Cheryl" and "I'm in the hospital, can I see you?" is enough to make the girl rush to see her old friend. When Toni opens the door to Cheryl's room, she is unsurprised to see that Cheryl's best friend is a picture of sophistication if Toni's ever seen one.

She's way overdressed for this, topped off by a string of pearls strung around her neck. Toni greets her with a cautious, "Hi, you must be Veronica. Come on in."

Veronica takes two steps into the room before being rooted to her place.

Shock takes over her features as her eyes rake over Cheryl. Toni has grown used to Cheryl's bruised and battered form, so Veronica's reaction is a reminder of how much the redhead has really been through.

"Hi, Ronnie." Cheryl says, voice trembling. Toni fights the urge to sit down next to her and hold her hand. As much as she wants to comfort Cheryl, she knows this isn't her moment to intrude on.

"Cheryl, _ay dios mio_." Veronica is at the redhead's bedside in seconds, quickly taking Cheryl's hand into her own, "What happened?"

"I -" Cheryl looks over at Toni, who gives her a single nod. "Nick."

Veronica's face immediately falls, "What?"

"I - he was angry." Cheryl says, searching for the right words to explain just what exactly happened between her and Nick.

"No, Cheryl, I knew what you meant I just - when did this start?"

"I don't - a year ago, maybe more?" Cheryl wrings her hands nervously, "A few months after he made me stop talking to you."

Tears spring to Veronica's eyes, "I didn't know, Cheryl. How couldn't I have known?"

"Nobody knew," Cheryl shakes her head, "You can't blame yourself."

"I should've known better. When you stopped answering my calls and the door I should've hunted you down, I should've pried. Maybe you wouldn't be here if I would've tried harder." Realization overtakes Veronica's features and her face becomes sadder than it was before, "You wouldn't be here at all if I hadn't introduced you to that creature."

Veronica is crying now, little sniffles as tears roll down her face. Cheryl's hand reaches over to clutch Veronica's cheek, "No, Ronnie. I cut you off. I'm sorry... I should've told you. I was scared."

The raven-haired Latina bends over to envelop Cheryl in a tight hug. It was a little awkward thanks to Cheryl's position on the bed, but she tried to make it one of the best hugs Cheryl Blossom had ever gotten. "Ay, _cariño_. I'm so sorry you had to go through this. I love you, Cher."

The redhead is crying now too, tears staining Veronica's no-doubt expensive sweater. "I love you too, Ronnie."

They stay there for a few minutes, murmuring 'I'm sorry's and 'I've missed you's into each other's shoulders. Eventually, Veronica pulls away, wiping underneath her eyes.

"God, I'm sorry." Veronica says, turning to Toni, "I've lost all my manners. I'm Veronica Lodge."

Toni, who was scrolling through her phone in the chair at the corner of the room trying to give the two girls space, quickly looked up at the Latina, "Hi. I'm Toni Topaz."

"Well, I'd like to say I've heard a lot about you, but Miss Cheryl Bombshell and I have a lot of catching up to do."

Toni laughs freely, quickly catching on to Veronica's charm.

"Well, I've heard plenty about you. I'm Cheryl's..." Toni's voice trails off, realizing her and Cheryl hadn't really talked about any labels yet. It felt kind of soon to jump into anything, and Toni would be happy to be whatever Cheryl wanted her to. Even if that was just friends.

Veronica's eyebrow quirks and she turns to Cheryl, "That's going, then?"

Cheryl blushes furiously under Veronica's gaze, "It's still new."

"I'm going to want details later, but to spare you and Toni's pride, I'll let it go for now." Veronica smiles sweetly, "Anyway, I need to bring you up to date with everything that has happened in the life of Veronica Lodge for the past two years."

Cheryl smiles girlishy, looking younger than Toni's ever seen her - like a high school girl gossiping with her best friend about the newest going ons in each other's lives. "Are you still dating Archie?"

Veronica scoffs, "He was so hot but once I got tired of having sex with him 24/7, I realized we had literally nothing in common. So, no. But remember Betty Cooper?"

Cheryl's jaw drops, "You're shacking up with my cousin?"

Veronica and Cheryl talk for hours, gossiping like teenage girls about everyone that they knew from high school and where they are now. Toni learns quite a few things about high-school Cheryl, like her tyrannical reign over the cheerleading squad that left Veronica unable to look at a pyramid for years after graduating. Eventually, the heaviness of the day mixed with the drugs pumping through her body tires Cheryl out and she falls asleep.

Veronica looks reluctant to leave, but after the third time the nurse comes in to remind her it is well past visiting hours, she picks up her purse and gets up.

"Hey, Toni?"

Toni looks up from where she was dozing off in the hospital chair next to Cheryl's bed. "Mm, yeah?"

Veronica walks up so she's standing over Toni. Her brows are furrowed, but her lips still curl up slightly, "Thank you. For... getting Cheryl out of there. Whatever you did, thank you."

Toni stands up so she's face to face with the girl, "Veronica, it was really no problem. And I didn't do all that much. She got herself out."

Veronica smiles at Toni, letting her know she doesn't really believe her. "Still, thank you. I don't know what I would have done if..." Her voice trails off and she looks towards Cheryl, who is sleeping peacefully. The bruises look more out of place than ever.

"Yeah. Me too." They're both looking over at Cheryl now.

"Oh, and Toni?" Veronica looks over so she's making eye contact with her again, a sickly-sweet smile on her lips, "My daddy's in the mafia. So keep that in mind before you think about hurting her."

A feeling close to respect wells up in Toni's chest. "I'd never dream of it."

Veronica nods, turning on her heel with one last warning look to Toni. She then moves over to Cheryl, presses a soft kiss to her forehead, and walks out of the room.

\-----

Three weeks later, Toni is helping Cheryl change the locks to her house. The redhead is sitting on a lawn chair in the sun, staring over at Toni. The bruises are faded almost completely, and she looks healthier than Toni has ever seen her.

"Geez, princess, are you not going to help even a little bit?" Toni says, struggling with the screwdriver. She should've asked Sweet Pea for help.

Cheryl laughs, a soft melodic sound that makes Toni's heart melt. "You offered."

"Yeah, because it meant spending more time with you. Not because I thought I would actually have to do manual labor." Toni whined.

Cheryl got up from her spot on the chair and wrapped her arms around Toni from the back, whispering "Take a break" into her ear.

Toni immediately laid down the tools and turned around to catch Cheryl in a soft kiss. "I thought you'd never let me stop, holy shit."

Cheryl laughed, "I texted Sweet Pea when I realized you had no idea what you were doing. He's coming over tomorrow to fix them."

Toni feigns offense, "And you let me keep trying it for how long now?"

Cheryl leans over, her lips impossibly close to Toni's ear, "Seeing you working on the door all sweaty had me a little turned on. Sorry I didn't want it to stop sooner."

Then she walks past Toni into the house, hips swaying a little too much to be natural. Toni's mouth drops. Sure, they had gradually been getting more handsy, more risque. But Toni wanted to be careful, after everything Cheryl had been through, so she kept the sexual stuff to a minimum. But God, she's caring, not blind, and the sight of Cheryl drove her insane.

Toni follows her into the house, still a little dumbfounded. When she's not in the kitchen or living room, Toni goes into her bedroom to find Cheryl laying sideways on the bed, clearly having been waiting for her.

"Jesus, Cheryl." Toni says, already moving towards the girl.

Cheryl pulls her in by her wrist, coaxing Toni to lie down next to her. As soon as she does, Cheryl pulls her into a kiss. It's not like the other ones they commonly share. It's fast, passion radiating through every movement. When Cheryl moves her hand to the nape of Toni's neck, pulling at the hairs there, heat shoots to Toni's core.

Cheryl tugs at Toni's legs, flipping her over so Toni is straddling Cheryl. The redhead puts one hand on the bed for support while she moves up to kiss down Toni's neck.

"Mmm, Cheryl, maybe we should stop." Toni says as soon as she realizes where this is going.

"I don't want to stop." Cheryl says, voice breathy, and that alone is enough to make Toni more turned on than she ever thought a voice could. Toni wants to keep going, wants to keep touching Cheryl until she sees the redhead come undone below her. Wants to show her what making love really feels like.

When Cheryl moves up to rock against her, Toni moans softly. "Shit, Cher."

"I want you." Cheryl says, moving to suck on that spot behind Toni's ear that drives her insane, "All of you."

Toni pulls back to look at Cheryl, searching for any signal of insecurity or fear. When she finds none, she settles for saying, "Tell me if you want to stop, okay? It doesn't matter how far we've gone, I'm not going to be mad if you want to stop."

Cheryl nods, "Now shut up. Make me yours."

Toni needs no more convincing. She bends forward to press soft kisses to Cheryl's neck and chest, smiling when she hears a soft gasp when she sucks on Cheryl's collarbone. She's found her spot. Toni sucks on that spot with a little more fervor, moving her tongue against it after Cheryl lets out a moan.

Cheryl moves to take off Toni's shirt, and Toni leans up a little to allow her to take it all the way off. Toni isn't wearing a bra under her T-shirt, and the sight of her bare chest makes Cheryl falter. She reaches forward to cup her breasts in her hands, rolling Toni's nipple between her thumb and forefinger. Toni's eyes flutter shut and goosebumps erupt all over her chest.

Driven by pure instinct, Cheryl leans forward to take the other nipple into her mouth. Toni gasps and shudders a little bit, but refuses to let the redhead have the upper hand. She moves to grip the bottom of Cheryl's shirt, only pausing to ask, "Is this okay?" before Cheryl's nod gives her the go-ahead to pull it all the way off.

When greeted by Cheryl's bare chest, Toni can't help but marvel at the sight of pale skin and a taut stomach underneath her hands. Her hands move on their own to cup Cheryl's breasts. Toni stares for a second at the contrast between their skin before moving to knead Cheryl's nipples between her fingers.

"You're beautiful." Toni says before she leans in to kiss Cheryl again, tongues dancing. She rearranges herself so her thigh is between Cheryl's leg, smirking when she feels Cheryl moan into her mouth. Toni feels proud, if not a little smug, that Cheryl is already falling apart.

"Lie back, baby." Toni says, and Cheryl does as she's told, red hair splayed around her on the pillow like a halo.

Toni's hand leaves Cheryl's chest and reaches down between her legs instead, moving below the redhead's tiny skirt. Toni moans when she reaches the girl's heat, finding her so wet that she can feel it through her panties. "Baby, you're soaking."

Cheryl can't find it in herself to be embarrassed when Toni begins to massage her through her panties, nimble fingers drawing loud moans out from between her cherry-red lips. Toni brings Cheryl's nipple into her mouth as her fingers continue to massage the redhead until she's squirming below her, hips bucking involuntarily, trying to find more friction.

Only then does she pull her fingers away from the redhead, kissing her way down Cheryl's body until her head is positioned between the girl's thighs. Toni looks up at Cheryl as she hooks her fingers on the waistband of her jeans, searching her face for any reservation. When Cheryl lifts her hips, Toni doesn't hesitate to pull her skirt and panties down her legs.

Toni presses a kiss to the inside of Cheryl's knee before lifting Cheryl's leg so it's resting on her shoulder. Cheryl bites her lip so hard she thinks she might draw blood and squeezes the fistful of bedsheets in her right hand a little tighter.

"Please, Toni." Cheryl moans, too turned on to be embarrassed about begging. Toni presses a kiss to the inside of Cheryl's thigh, painfully close to where Toni really needs her. then she draws lazy circles with her tongue up and down Cheryl's entrance, avoiding her clit altogether. Cheryl moans, loudly, already on the edge.

Her knees tighten involuntarily around Toni's ears and her hand reaches down to grab a fistful of Toni's hair.

Toni decides to stop teasing and brings her hand down to Cheryl's clit, drawing slow circles around it with her thumb while her tongue finally delves into her wet heat. And Cheryl is known for her dramatics, but this time she swears it might be the most incredible thing she's ever felt. Toni maintains her slow thrusting with her tongue and Cheryl feels the pressure building low in her belly begin to unfurl.

Toni begins thrusting a little faster, focusing a little more on Cheryl's clit until she feels Cheryl's hips buck up into her mouth. Cheryl's legs tighten further around Toni's head but Toni maintains her slow movements as Cheryl rides through her orgasm, hips bucking uncontrollably.

Toni is determined to draw another orgasm from Cheryl, so she switches out her mouth for her fingers and thrusts two of them deep into Cheryl. The redhead moans loudly, already sensitive from her last climax. It doesn't take long until Cheryl is squirming beneath her. Toni knows she's close, so she wraps her lips around Cheryl's clit, drawing quick circles against it with her tongue.

Cheryl comes with a loud moan and a heaving breath, her legs falling slack on Toni's shoulders. Her back arches and she melts into the bed. Toni laps up her moisture and slows down her thrusting as Cheryl rides out her orgasm. Finally, she climbs up Cheryl's body, meeting her lips in a gentle kiss. The redhead can taste herself on Toni's tongue.

"How you feeling, Red?" Toni says as her head falls onto Cheryl's shoulder.

Cheryl, still at a loss for air, answers with "You know that movie with that robot when all his files get deleted? Like that."

Toni bites Cheryl's shoulder lovingly, "I'm that good, huh?"

"Oh, I wouldn't get too cocky if I were you, Topaz." Cheryl said with a smirk, "As soon as I can think in full sentences again, your mind is going to be blown to pieces."

\-----

They exhaust themselves out well into the night, and when Toni wakes up the next day with Cheryl in her arms she can't help but wonder how exactly she got so lucky. Cheryl is fully naked, head tucked under Toni's chin and arms wrapped around her midsection. Toni looks down at her and presses a soft kiss to the crown of her head.

Cheryl stirs, brows furrowing cutely. "It's _early_ , Toni."

Toni glances over at the digital clock on Cheryl's bedside table. "Actually, it's a minute past eight, which means it's officially breakfast hours at Pop's."

That makes Cheryl's eyes immediately open. "I do kind of want pancakes."

"You're cute, Blossom." Toni says, pressing a finger to Cheryl's nose. "But we need to get up if we want Pop's, cause Sweet Pea is gonna be here at 11 to fix those damn locks and we need to be back by then."

"On second thought," Cheryl says, face burrowing deeper into Toni's chest, "I don't need to eat. I'd rather stay here with you. Plus, I had a pretty big meal last night."

Toni laughs at Cheryl's sad excuse for a sexual innuendo before wrapping her arms around the girl. "You're funny."

Cheryl's hand comes up to cup Toni's cheek, bringing her in for a soft kiss. When she pulls back she presses her forehead against Toni's, eyes meeting. It's one of the most intimate things Toni has ever done. Cheryl's lip quirks upward slightly and she says, "Toni I'm already - I already..."

Toni pecks Cheryl's lips, "I'm already, too."

**Author's Note:**

> this shit took me three days to write so i really hope people enjoyed it. drop a comment below if you enjoyed my 10k angst extravaganza.


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